Jun222006

iittala i-mark Celebrates 50 Years

iittala_logo.gifThe i-mark, designed by Timo Sarpaneva and familiar to everyone at Iittala, turns 50 this year. Sarpaneva originally created the i-mark for the i-glass collection of objects and packages, which he designed. Both the i-glass collection and the i-mark were introduced to the public for the first time on 4 May 1956 at an event organized in Stockmann’s exhibition hall in Helsinki.

At first the red i-mark was used to identify the new glass collection. Then in the 1960s it became the trademark of Iittala’s entire product assortment. Over the years the trademark has slightly changed, but the original idea, the white i-letter on a red background, has remained the same. The little squared-off letter “i” with its rectangular dot was meant to symbolize the glassblower’s most important tool, the blowpipe, and the white-hot parison at its tip.

  1. Finnish Design Blog » Blog Archive » Timo Sarpaneva, 79, Finnish Designer, DiesOctober 11th, 2006
  2. Finnish Design Blog » Blog Archive » New Aalto Wood Serving TrayDecember 8th, 2006

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